hats!

"Fashion is a kind of communication. It's a language without words. A great hat speaks for itself."

 One day, while walking to the Kierkegaard conference in Copenhagen, I happened upon a butik (boutique) whose window display drew me in.  Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the shop, but I did take pictures of the lovely items that bade me enter.  Each one-of-a-kind design was made out of paper by a Danish artist, and the shopkeeper was kind enough to allow me to try on each and every one.  When I asked the price of one of them, she told me that they were not for sale, as the artist refused to put a kroner (the Danish equivalent of our dollar) amount on her work.  But, I was informed, if I was seriously interested, she would be happy to take a quick trip down the street to the milliner's apartment to ask once more.  I declined, but was generously encouraged to take the following photos for your viewing enjoyment.  Remember: these are all made of paper!  Aren't they lovely?

going back for seconds: more smoerrebroed!

As promised, I made a trip back to the neighborhood butcher my landlady suggested.  In fact, I did so the morning after I posted the original smoerrebroed post.  Apparently, even Danes are crazy about their smoerrebroed, because when she saw my blog post, she got hungry for some and asked me to pick a few up for her, too!

My sweet Danish landlady Birgitte

The butcher shop packaged them a bit differently, but just as enticingly.  It reminded me of how my grandmother used to wrap sandwiches in waxed paper.

Are you getting excited yet?  Well, keep scrolling, and you'll see the delicious smoerrebroed as it appeared in the butchers case!

Looks good, huh?  Now I'll show you the ones I got...complete with descriptions!

Since I loved this variety at the other shop, I decided to give it a try here.  Again, it's a fish filet, topped with tomato, remoulade, micro-green things, and lemon.  In all honesty, I liked the other one better--it was bigger, and the fish was lighter and flakier.  But...the remoulade sauce on this one was incredible!  Homemade at the butcher shop, if I understood correctly.  Mmm!  I'd get this one again just because of the sauce.

This one is ham, shredded pickled beets, a pickle spear, tomato wedge, and a piece of pork cracklin.  I loved the textures of this one, even though I'm not a big fan of pork.  Everything worked well together.

This one is leverpostej, a homemade liver sausage that it seems every Dane eats.  Apparently it is quite popular, and each shop has its own secret recipe.  This site states: "Liver pate - “Leverpostej” is more Danish than the Evangelical Lutheran Church - and the monarchy. In brief there are more Danes that eat “Leverpostej” than there are members of the Danish Church or supporters of the royal family - which is a much admired institution in Denmark. 95 percent of all Danes eat “Leverpostej”. 40 percent eat “Leverpostej” daily. The Danes eat 18-20 million tons of “Leverpostej” every year - 4 kilo per Dane - and 60 million aluminium trays are backed yearly. 92 percent of all Danes over 12 years make a “Leverpostejmad” - an open faced liver paste sandwich every single day - with all sorts of toppings." 

Well, with a write-up like that, how could I NOT try it!  Besides, I used to eat liver sausage when I was a kid.  And once in a very great while, I'll get a taste for it now.  With onion and dark mustard.  So, of course I was gonna try this one.  And it was pretty tasty, too.  This smoerrebroed was topped with a pickled beet, tiny micro-green things, aspic, and a tomato wedge.  And you know what?  The aspic went well with it, too.  I ate the whole thing!

And finally, the piece de resistance...

Now, I know this doesn't look like much, but it was the best smoerrebroed I've had yet.  It's some sort of Italian salted beef thing, topped with a horseradish sauce (made with CREME FRAISE!!!), shredded horseradish, sweet and spicy mustard, some pickle relish thing, and a tomato wedge.  I actually groaned when I took a bite.  It was INCREDIBLE.  I'll definitely be going back to that butcher shop!  I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that it is just right around the corner...





And here, for your enjoyment, are more smoerrebroed photos:

scrumptious smoerrebroed!!!

Before I decided to travel to Denmark, I had never even heard of smoerrebroed. (It's actually spelled with an "o" that has a line through it, not with an oe, but my keyboard doesn't have danish characters...)  But, as soon as I started reading travel guides and doing online research about Denmark and Copenhagen, I saw the word everywhere.  Smoerrebroed is/are(?) little Danish open-faced sandwiches.  They are (usually) served on Danish rye bread that is spread with a little butter, and then topped with a variety of delectable and beautiful delicious things.

I'm just wondering why it took me more than a week to actually try one (or three!).  Here are some photos of my first smoerrebroed experience.

See...they come in a nice box...and they are carefully covered in waxed paper.  Are you getting excited yet?  Scroll down for the unveiling of the smoerrebroed!!!

And here are individual smoerrebroeds with descriptions:

This one is egg with shrimp(s), some mayonnaise, a lemon slice, and some micro-green things.  You can sort of see the lettuce peeking out, but the bread is hiding under the egg!

This one is chicken salad, with bacon, tomato, and chives.  It was a bit too mayonnaisy for my taste.  Plus, there were mushrooms in it, but I didn't know what they were until I was almost finished eating the sandwich.  Have you ever eaten mushrooms without knowing what they were?  It's an unsettling experience...  I might try this one again at a different smoerrebroed shop, though...

This one is roast beef with fried onion, shredded horseradish (?), chives, and a lovely, crisp pickle slice.  The pickle slice defies description.  I liked this smoerrebroed very much.

This one was better in theory.  I love smoked salmon, so I thought I'd love this sandwich.  But, in reality, it was not as tasty as I thought it would be.  Smoked salmon, mashed egg, chives, purple onion, and a cucumber slice.  I probably won't get this variety again.

So far, this is my FAVORITE of all the smoerrebroeds I've had.  It's a fried fish filet, slapped on top of a tiny piece of whole rye bread, topped with a tangy remoulade (that tastes NOTHING like American tartar sauce!), a cherry tomato slice, a lemon slice, and tiny micro-green things.  I love this one.  Mmm!

And finally, this one is a hearty, meaty smoerrebroed.  It's a giant danish meatball thing, cut in slices (this sandwich had 2 slices), topped with a tasty danish potato salad and chives.  I'm not sure what I think of this one--personally, it seems to need something sour, like a pickle slice, or some red beets or pickled cabbage, or some mustard.  But that is probably breaking some sort of smoerrebroed rule.  And there are rules aplenty for making and eating smoerebroed!  Just check the internet!  I'm pretty sure my dad would like this one a lot.  I think I might have to try it again to decide...

All of these smoerrebroeds came from a little place on Classensgade a few blocks from where I'm living.  The guy who runs the place is super friendly, and he has plenty of regulars.  It's tricky getting in there for smoerrebroed, though, because he keeps really short hours; he's only open a few hours a day, Monday through Friday.  I was super impressed because he even bakes his own bread.  I'll try to get some photos of him and his shop for a followup post.

My landlady suggested I try the smoerrebroed her butcher makes.  It's right around the corner, also on Classensgade, at one of the last old-fashioned butcher shops in Copenhagen.  And, from what I was told by the butcher there, all of the sauces and accoutrements are homemade.  The smoerrebroeds from this shop aren't quite as pretty (or, quite as hefty) as the first ones I tried, but I'm willing to give them a shot, based on my landlady's advice.  I also found the butcher to be very sweet and helpful, so I'm for sure going to try some of these.  Here is what they look like in the case.  I'll do a followup post in a few days to let you know the results of the taste test...

For more info about smoerrebroed, this guy actually has an entire blog dedicated to his obsession with Danish sandwiches: my obsession with smoerrebroed.  Also, midway down through this link, there is a little video you can watch that shows how to put smoerrebroed together properly: danish food culture and cooking.  This link also contains a ton of information about Danish food in general.  Like, did you know that the Danes are the most pork-eating people around?  I didn't!

Do you have any experiences with smoerrebroed?  If so, please share in the comment section!

crying

I cried three times today. 

The first was over something silly.  I got frustrated because I couldn’t figure out how to do something quite simple.  Like open a door, or unlock a bike, or some other such thing that should be easy, but, because I’m in a different county, it turns into something so complex that even my PhD training doesn’t seem to help, and I end up feeling like an idiot, and because I'm in unfamiliar surroundings, and I'm surrounded by unfamiliar people, I feel more alone and raw and emotional than usual.  So, I cried because I was frustrated.

The second time, I was walking along one of the Copenhagen's lakes that used to be motes, and I saw a rosebush festooned with lavender blooms.  I stopped—literally to smell the roses—and was so stirred by the scent, that I cried.  I cried actual tears because that flower smelled so indescribably beautiful that I didn’t know how to express my appreciation and emotion.  So my body helped me out, and my emotions spilled, and I didn’t need to say or do anything else.

The third time was mere minutes later, walking along another one of the lakes that used to be motes.  I heard music so beautifully haunting that I stopped breathing.  A Romany man was playing an accordion with such depth and intensity that I was thoroughly overwhelmed.  The music was sad, and the man was sad, and the man and his music shared all that sadness with me, and I remembered my own sadness and became overwhelmed.  And I cried.

potato salad!

Anyone who knows me at all knows I despise potato salad.  Cold chunks of overcooked mealy potatos sodden with greasy mayonnaise, topped with green pepper and paprikia...  *gag*  I'm not even a huge fan of potatoes cooked other ways, either.  However, the adorable little Danish potatoes I kept encountering intrigued and tempted me…but how could I prepare them?  And then, I kept seeing signs advertising kartofelsalat (potato salad), so I began to wonder.  Might American and Danish potato salads be different?  I do so love the hot German version—all salty and sour with bacon and vinegar…

So, while dining at the home of new Danish friends, I brought up the subject and was told that there are MANY possible versions of potato salad.  One can make it hot, with olive oil, diced olives, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and herbs.  One can make it cold, using any variety of preparations, most of which do not include Hellmann’s mayonnaise!  I was sold on the idea, and went to the store the next day to get what I needed.

Here is the version I tried:

1. Slice and boil a bunch of little yellow Danish potatoes (be sure to wash off all the fine sand coating them!). 
2. Let the little golden beauties cool off before sprinkling lightly with salt and tossing in greek yogurt.  Feel free to add a dab of crème fraise if you like.  I did!
3. Sprinkle in sliced green onion and lots of dill.
4. Eat

Notes: If I had had any on hand, I would have added a tiny bit of prepared mustard.  Oh, you might also like some black pepper…I hate the stuff, so I don’t even keep it in my house!  

The finished product, served alongside a hard boiled egg, pickled herring in curry sauce, and a piece of Danish brown bread. 

Let me know if you try making it!  I'd love to hear about your experiences!

love...

It's true.  I followed a man to Denmark.  

From the moment I met him, I was smitten, head-over-heels, crazy in love.  My heart pounded when I read his letters.  He wrote of love—the real kind—and made me swoon.  And when listening to him, all I could do was nod my head and agree with everything he said—he was so incredibly brilliant!  He also caused me to see the world in a completely different light, as love will often do, and I gazed at the world in utter fascination.  My friend Nick recognized it and said we were probably made for one another.  So, really, there was nothing else to do but get a ticket to Copenhagen to immerse myself in his culture, his town, his country, his world.

So, here I am, wandering Copenhagen.  And the man with whom I am so very smitten is Soren Kierkegaard, a 19^th century Danish existential philosopher.  And this is the book that sent me into orbit:  Works of Love 

eight first impressions of denmark

1. Converse all-star shoes—both high- and low-tops in all different colors—are quite popular.  I should have brought my red ones.
2. Danes are ridiculously friendly.  They may not look it off-hand, but so far, if I ask anyone directions, or what something means in English, and they become immediately helpful and kind.  In fact, I asked a Dane for help in the grocery store, and by the end of it, I had an invitation to Sunday brunch, and then we’re going to see some museums.
3. There are a lot of tall, blonde people here.  Like, seriously tall and seriously blonde. 
4. Danes are bicycle crazy.  My bicycle is currently out of order, but Gunner, my landlady’s boyfriend, is in the process of fixing it for me.  He didn’t want me to be riding a bicycle without good tires.  It’ll be ready on Monday—but frankly, I’m terrified!  These people are hard-core. Did you know you can get a bicycle traffic ticket?!?
5. Danish is HARD to speak.  I used to be near-fluent in Spanish, speak a good bit of French, understand some German, learned to speak and understand a little bit of Choctaw and Cherokee, and got by with bits and pieces of Luganda and Acholi when I was in Uganda.  But this Scandanavian stuff had me flummoxed.  In fact, when I tried to learn Danish using a language CD set I borrowed from the library, I just laughed and laughed, and realized I was hopeless.  It’s no better now that I’m here.  I can’t even say the street I live on: Nordborrgade.  We’ll see what a month can do, but I’m not very hopeful…
6. I’ve been in several homes, and they really do look like Ikea!
7. Stuff here is EXPENSIVE!  A meal in a restaurant will run about $40 (USA).  A beer is about $7 (USA).  I got a small jar of organic peanut butter for about $8.50 (USA), and tomatoes at $3.00 a ½ kilo.  
8. Danes LOVE their beer.  And licorice.  I've never seen so much and so many kinds licorice in all my life.  Too bad I don't like licorice—or beer...

eight reasons to love the amsterdam airport

1. Fish pedicures and an oxygen bar.
2. A grand piano that the public can play at will.
3. The seating is super awesome, and some of it is arranged in cozy configurations.  It’s perfect for napping.
4. Fresh organic juices at reasonable prices.
5. Gift shops are fully stocked with cheeses.
6. And meats, herrings, smoked eel, and caviar…
7. Just about everyone speaks English, so I’m able to get along.
8. The music on the digital airport library: Alain Clark, Anouk, Within Temptation.

tulips.  because it's holland!

this city sure is proud of its...errr...ummm...flora...

what the heck is this doing in amsterdam?!?

meat, meat, and more meat!

smoked eel, anyone?  they had herring, too, packed into little styrofoam coolers...

lovely cheese selection in an airport giftshop...

this was cool...

seems like the netherlands has some good music!